Fiber optic connection system

ABSTRACT

A fiber optic connection system ( 10/182/252 ) includes a first connection component ( 12/166/184/194/202/230/254 ) terminating a first fiber optic cable ( 14 ), the first connection component ( 12/166/184/194/202/230/254 ) including a housing ( 24/170/214/244/260 ) defining a longitudinal axis, at least one fiber ( 20 ) of the first fiber optic cable ( 14 ) fixed axially to the housing ( 24/170/214/244/260 ). A first shutter ( 36/206/238 ) is slidably movable in a direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing ( 24/170/214/244/260 ), the first shutter ( 36/206/238 ) biased to a closed position to prevent exposure to the at least one fiber ( 20 ) of the first fiber optic cable ( 14 ). The first connection component ( 12/166/184/194/202/230/254 ) includes a second shutter ( 22/100/172/212/242/258 ) slidably movable in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis, the second shutter ( 22/100/172/212/242/258 ) biased to a closed position to prevent the at least one fiber ( 20 ) from protruding from the first connection component ( 12/166/184/194/202/230/254 ).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/426,555, filed on May 30, 2019, which is a Continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/775,798, filed on May 11, 2018, now U.S.Pat. No. 10,310,190, which is a National Stage Application ofPCT/EP2016/077511, filed on Nov. 11, 2016, which claims the benefit ofU.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 62/254,867, filed on Nov. 13, 2015, thedisclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties. To the extent appropriate, a claim of priority is made toeach of the above disclosed applications.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to a fiber optic connectionsystem. Modern optical devices and optical communications systems widelyuse fiber optic cables. Fiber optic cables are often used to transmitlight signals for high speed data transmission. A fiber optic cabletypically includes an optical fiber or optical fibers, a buffer orbuffers that surround the fiber or fibers, a strength layer thatsurrounds the buffer or buffers, and an outer jacket. The optical fibersfunction to carry optical signals. A typical optical fiber includes aninner core surrounded by a cladding that is covered by a coating.Buffers (e.g., loose or tight buffer tubes) typically function tosurround and protect coated optical fibers. Strength layers addmechanical strength to fiber optic cables to protect the internaloptical fibers against stresses applied to the cables duringinstallation and thereafter. Example strength layers include aramidyarn, steel, and epoxy reinforced glass roving. Outer jackets provideprotection against damage caused by crushing, abrasions, and otherphysical damage. Outer jackets also provide protection against chemicaldamage (e.g., ozone, alkali, acids).

Fiber optic cable connection systems are used to facilitate connectingand disconnecting fiber optic cables in the field without requiring asplice. A typical fiber optic cable connection system forinterconnecting two fiber optic cables includes fiber optic connectorsmounted at the ends of the fiber optic cables, and an adapter formechanically and optically coupling the fiber optic connectors together.Fiber optic connectors generally include ferrules that support the endsof the optical fibers of the fiber optic cables. The end faces of theferrules are typically polished and are often angled. The adapterincludes co-axially aligned ports (i.e., receptacles for receiving thefiber optic connectors desired to be interconnected). The adapterincludes an internal sleeve that receives and aligns the ferrules of thefiber optic connectors when the connectors are inserted within the portsof the adapter. With the ferrules and their associated fibers alignedwithin the sleeve of the adapter, a fiber optic signal can pass from onefiber to the next. Some systems are known which include alignment offibers but no ferrules.

Improvements in the area of fiber optic connection are desired.

SUMMARY

In one implementation, a fiber optic connection system includes a firstconnection component terminating a first fiber optic cable, the firstconnection component including a housing defining a longitudinal axis,at least one fiber of the first fiber optic cable fixed axially withrespect to the housing. The first connection component includes a firstshutter that is slidably movable in a direction generally perpendicularto the longitudinal axis, the first shutter biased to a closed positionwherein the at least one fiber of the first fiber optic cable isprevented from exposure by the first shutter. The first connectioncomponent also includes a second shutter that is slidably movable in adirection generally parallel to the longitudinal axis, the secondshutter biased to a closed position so as to prevent the at least onefiber of the first fiber optic cable from protruding from the firstconnection component.

According to another aspect, the disclosure is directed to a method ofexposing at least one fiber of a first fiber optic cable for opticalalignment with at least one fiber of a second fiber optic cable, themethod comprising physically mating a first connection component thatterminates the at least one fiber of the first fiber optic cable with asecond connection component, automatically moving a first shutter of thefirst connection component to an open position to expose the at leastone fiber of the first fiber optic cable by mating the first connectioncomponent to the second connection component, wherein the first shutteris normally biased to a closed position and is slidably movable in adirection generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the firstconnection component, and automatically moving a second shutter of thefirst connection component to an open position to expose the at leastone fiber of the first fiber optic cable by mating the first connectioncomponent to the second connection component, wherein the second shutteris normally biased to a closed position and is slidably movable in adirection generally parallel with respect to the longitudinal axis ofthe first connection component.

According to another aspect, the disclosure is directed to a fiber opticconnection component comprising a housing for physically mating with ahousing of another fiber optic connection component terminating at leastone fiber of a first fiber optic cable, a first deflection structure formoving a first shutter of the another fiber optic connection componentin a direction generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of thehousing of the another fiber optic connection component, a seconddeflection structure for moving a second shutter of the another fiberoptic connection component in a direction generally along thelongitudinal axis of the housing of the another fiber optic connectioncomponent, and a fiber alignment structure defining at least onev-groove for receiving the at least one fiber of the first fiber opticcable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a fiber optic connection systemhaving features that are examples of inventive aspects in accordancewith the disclosure, the cross-sectional view taken along a linebisecting a first connection component in the form of a male connectorand a second connection component in the form of a female connector ofthe connection system;

FIG. 2 illustrates the male and female connectors of FIG. 1 in a matedconfiguration;

FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating the male and female connectors ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5A is a side view of the male connector of FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 5B is an exploded view of the male connector of FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 5C is a top view of the male connector of FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 5D is a bottom perspective view of the male connector of FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 5E is another partially exploded view of the male connector ofFIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 5F illustrates the connector inner housing base, the connectorinner housing top, and the connector sliding outer housing of the maleconnector of FIGS. 1-3 in an exploded configuration;

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective cross-sectional view of the maleconnector of FIG. 5, the cross-sectional view taken along a linebisecting the male connector, the male connector shown with both of thefirst shutter and the second shutter in a closed position;

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view showing the front end of the maleconnector of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 illustrates the cross-sectional view of the male connector ofFIG. 6 with both the first shutter and the second shutter in an openposition, exposing the optical fibers of the male connector for mating;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line similar to line 4-4of FIG. 3, illustrating a buckling region of the male connector that isconfigured to accommodate eight optical fibers;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line similar to line 4-4of FIG. 3, illustrating another example of a buckling region of the maleconnector that is configured to accommodate twelve optical fibers;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line similar to line 4-4of FIG. 3, illustrating another example of a buckling region of the maleconnector that is formed from two separate cavities, each configured toaccommodate eight optical fibers;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the female connector of the fiber opticconnection system of FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 13 is a partial perspective view illustrating the front end of thefemale connector of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the female connector ofFIGS. 12-13, the cross-sectional view taken along a line bisecting thefemale connector, the female connector shown with the pivoting shutterin a closed position;

FIG. 15A is a front end of the female connector of FIGS. 12-14 with thepivoting shutter in an open position for illustrating the fiberalignment portion of the female connector;

FIG. 15B is a close-up view of the fiber alignment structure located atthe fiber alignment portion of the female connector of FIG. 15A;

FIG. 15C illustrates another version of a fiber alignment structure thatcan be used within the female connector of FIGS. 12-14;

FIG. 15D is a close-up view of the fiber alignment structure located atthe fiber alignment portion of the female connector of FIG. 15C;

FIG. 16 illustrates another example of a second connection component ofthe fiber optic connection system in the form of an adapter, the adapterconfigured to physically and optically mate two of the male connectorsof FIGS. 5-8;

FIG. 17 illustrates the adapter of FIG. 16 with two male connectorsmated thereto;

FIG. 18 is a side view of the fiber optic connection system of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the adapter and the twomated male connectors of FIGS. 17-18, the cross-sectional view takenalong a line bisecting the adapter and the male connectors;

FIG. 20 illustrates another cross-sectional view of the fiber opticconnection system of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the adapter of FIGS. 16-20;

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of the adapter of FIG. 21, thecross-sectional view taken along a line bisecting the adapter;

FIG. 23 is a close-up view of the fiber alignment portion of the adapterof FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of another fiber optic connection systemincluding the male connector of FIGS. 5-8 and another embodiment of afemale connector that is configured to mate with the male connector;

FIG. 25 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the male and femaleconnectors of FIG. 24, the cross-sectional view taken along a linebisecting the male and female connectors;

FIG. 26 illustrates the male and female connectors of FIG. 25 in a matedconfiguration;

FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view of the male and female connectors ofFIG. 26, the cross-sectional view taken along a line bisecting the maleand female connectors;

FIG. 28 is another cross-sectional view of the male and femaleconnectors of FIG. 26, the cross-sectional view taken along a linebisecting the male and female connectors;

FIG. 29 is a top view of another fiber optic connection system includingan adapter configured to fit within an SC footprint and a pair of maleconnectors to be mated therethrough, wherein one of the male connectorsis shown as partially inserted within the adapter;

FIG. 30 is a side view of the fiber optic connection system of FIG. 29;

FIG. 31A is a cross-sectional view of the fiber optic connection systemof FIGS. 29-30, the cross-sectional view taken along line 31A-31A ofFIG. 29 that bisects the adapter and the male connectors;

FIG. 31B illustrates a cross-sectional view of one of the maleconnectors of FIG. 31A, wherein the cross-sectional view is taken alonga line that bisects the male connector;

FIG. 32 illustrates a top view of the fiber optic connection system ofFIG. 29 with both of the male connectors fully mated through theadapter;

FIG. 33 illustrates a side view of the fiber optic connection system ofFIG. 32;

FIG. 34 is a cross-sectional view of the fiber optic connection systemof FIGS. 32-33, the cross-sectional view taken along a line bisectingthe adapter and the male connectors;

FIG. 35 is a side view of another fiber optic connection systemincluding an adapter defining an angled body and a pair of maleconnectors to be mated therethrough;

FIG. 36 illustrates a top view of the fiber optic connection system ofFIG. 35;

FIG. 37 is cross-sectional view of the fiber optic connection system ofFIGS. 35-36, the cross-sectional view taken along line 37-37 of FIG. 36that bisects the adapter and the male connectors;

FIG. 38 is a close-up view of the fiber alignment portion of the adapterof FIGS. 35-37;

FIG. 39 is a perspective view of another fiber optic connection systemincluding a second connection component in the form of a femaleconnector defining an angled body and one of the male connectors ofFIGS. 35-37 mated thereto;

FIG. 40 is a top view of yet another fiber optic connection systemincluding an adapter configured to fit within an SC footprint andanother pair of male connectors to be mated therethrough, wherein thefibers of the male connectors protrude therefrom at a straight,non-angled orientation, wherein one of the male connectors is shown aspartially inserted within the adapter;

FIG. 41 is a cross-sectional view of the fiber optic connection systemof FIG. 40, the cross-sectional view taken along line 41-41 of FIG. 40that bisects the adapter and the male connectors;

FIG. 42 is a bottom view of the fiber optic connection system of FIGS.40-41;

FIG. 43 is a side view of the fiber optic connection system of FIGS.40-42;

FIG. 44 illustrates a top view of the fiber optic connection system ofFIG. 40 with both of the male connectors fully mated through theadapter;

FIG. 45 is a cross-sectional view of the fiber optic connection systemof FIG. 44, the cross-sectional view taken along line 45-45 of FIG. 44that bisects the adapter and the male connectors;

FIG. 46 is bottom view of the fiber optic connection system of FIGS.44-45;

FIG. 47 illustrates a side view of the fiber optic connection system ofFIGS. 44-46;

FIG. 48 is a perspective cross-sectional view of another embodiment of afirst connection component in the form of a male connector, thecross-sectional view taken along a plane running generally perpendicularto the longitudinal axis of the male connector, the male connectorprovided in the form of a dual-layered fiber connection component, themale connector shown with both of the first shutter and the secondshutter in a closed position;

FIG. 49 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the male connector of FIG.48 with both the first shutter and the second shutter in an openposition, exposing the optical fibers of the male connector for mating;

FIG. 50 is a close-up view illustrating the buckling regions of thedual-layered male connector of FIGS. 48-49;

FIG. 51 is a top view of a fiber optic connection system utilizing thedual-layered male connectors of FIGS. 48-50 and a dual-layered adapterdefining an angled body for mating the male connectors;

FIG. 52 is a cross-sectional view of the fiber optic connection systemof FIG. 51, the cross-sectional view taken along line 52-52 of FIG. 51that bisects the adapter and the male connectors;

FIG. 53 is a close-up view of the fiber alignment portion of the adapterof FIGS. 51-52;

FIG. 54 is a side view of the fiber optic connection system of FIGS.51-53;

FIG. 55 is a bottom view of the fiber optic connection system of FIGS.51-54;

FIG. 56 is a top view of another embodiment of a second connectioncomponent in the form of an adapter, the adapter provided in the form ofa quad-layered fiber connection component;

FIG. 57 is a side view of the adapter of FIG. 56;

FIG. 58 is a cross-sectional view of the adapter of FIGS. 56-57, thecross-sectional view taken along line 58-58 of FIG. 56 that bisects theadapter;

FIG. 59 is a front view of the adapter of FIGS. 56-58;

FIG. 60 illustrates a top view of a fiber optic connection systemutilizing the quad-layered adapter of FIGS. 56-59 and a quad-layeredmale connector mated thereto;

FIG. 61 is a side view of the fiber optic connection system of FIG. 60;

FIG. 62 is a cross-sectional view of the fiber optic connection systemof FIGS. 60-61, the cross-sectional view taken along line 62-62 of FIG.60 that bisects the adapter and the male connector mated thereto;

FIG. 63 is a top view of the fiber optic connection system utilizing thequad-layered adapter of FIGS. 56-62, with two quad-layered maleconnectors mated therethrough;

FIG. 64 is a side view of the fiber optic connection system of FIG. 63;

FIG. 65A is a cross-sectional view of the fiber optic connection systemof FIGS. 63-64, the cross-sectional view taken along line 65A-65A ofFIG. 63 that bisects the adapter and the male connectors matedtherethrough;

FIG. 65B illustrates a cross-sectional view of one of the quad-layeredmale connectors of FIG. 65A, wherein the cross-sectional view is takenalong a line that bisects the male connector;

FIG. 65C illustrates the quad-layered male connector of FIG. 65B in anexploded configuration;

FIG. 66 is a side view of another embodiment of a first connectioncomponent in the form of a male connector, the male connector providedin the form of a 144-fiber connector defining six fiber layers, the maleconnector shown with both of the first shutter and the second shutter ina closed position;

FIG. 67 is a front view of the 144-fiber male connector of FIG. 66;

FIG. 68A is a cross-sectional view taken along line 68A-68A of FIG. 67;

FIG. 68B is a perspective cross-sectional view of the 144-fiber maleconnector of FIG. 66 taken along a line bisecting the male connector;

FIG. 69 illustrates the 144-fiber male connector of FIG. 66 with boththe first shutter and the second shutter in an open position, exposingthe optical fibers of the male connector for mating;

FIG. 70 is a front view of the 144-fiber male connector of FIG. 69; and

FIG. 71 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 71-71 of FIG. 70.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIGS. 1-15, a first embodiment of a fiber opticconnection system 10 is shown. System 10 includes a first fiber opticconnection component 12 (e.g., a male fiber optic connector) terminatinga first fiber optic cable 14 and a second fiber optic connectioncomponent 16 (e.g., a female fiber optic connector) terminating a secondfiber optic cable 18. The male and female connectors 12, 16 areconfigured to intermate for passing the fiber optic signal from thefirst cable 14 to the second cable 18 without an intermediate fiberoptic adapter according to the features of the system 10.

In the depicted embodiments of the disclosure, the fiber opticconnection system 10 is configured as a multi-fiber connection systemthat is configured to align a plurality of optical fibers 20 carried byeach cable.

In the depicted embodiments of the disclosure, the multiple fibers 20are generally aligned in a row, similar to that of a ribbonized fiberformation.

Referring specifically to FIGS. 5-8, the first fiber optic connectioncomponent in the form of a male fiber optic connector 12 is shown.

The male fiber optic connector 12 includes a shroud 22, a connectorinner housing 24, and a connector sliding outer housing 23. As will bediscussed in further detail below, the shroud 22 is slidably disposedwith respect to the connector inner housing 24. The connector slidingouter housing 23 is also slidably disposed with respect to the oppositeend of the connector inner housing 24.

The connector inner housing 24 is formed from a connector inner housingbase part 27 that is coupled to a connector inner housing top part 29.The connector inner housing top part 29 is slidably coupled to theconnector inner housing base part 27 as seen in FIG. 5F.

As shown in the cross-sectional views in FIGS. 6 and 8 that bisect themale connector 12, and as will be explained in further detail below, theshroud 22 is configured to slide rearward with respect to the connectorinner housing 24 to expose the optical fibers 20 of the first cable 14for alignment with the fibers 20 of the second cable 18 that has beenterminated by the female connector 16.

The shroud 22 is formed from a shroud outer housing 25 and a shroudinner housing 26 that is generally wedged at a front end 28 of theshroud outer housing 25. The shroud inner housing 26 is axially fixedwith respect to the shroud outer housing 25. The shroud inner housing 26cooperates with an upper wall 30 of the shroud outer housing 25 whenguiding fibers 20 out of the shroud 22 for alignment with the fibers 20of the female connector 16. The fibers 20 are positioned between anupper surface 32 of the shroud inner housing 26 and an interior surface34 of the upper wall 30 of the shroud outer housing 25 as shown in FIGS.6 and 8. The upper surface 32 of the shroud inner housing 26 is providedat an angle for guiding the fibers 20 out of the male connector 12 at agenerally downward angle.

At the front end 28 of the shroud outer housing 25 of the male connector12 is positioned a first shutter 36. The shutter 36 defines a verticalportion 38 and a horizontal portion 40. The vertical portion 38 isgenerally movable in the up and down direction perpendicular to theaxial direction. The vertical portion 38 of the shutter 36 defines awindow 42 that exposes the fibers 20 and allows the fibers 20 toprotrude out therefrom when the shutter 36 has been moved upwardly. Asshown in FIGS. 1, 2, 6, and 8, the horizontal portion 40 defines anelongate configuration and is generally housed within a pocket 44 of theshroud inner housing 26. The horizontal portion 40 of the shutter 36that is within the pocket 44 of the shroud inner housing 26 biases thevertical portion 38 downwardly to keep the shutter 36 in a closedposition (i.e., the shutter window 42 in an un-aligned position withrespect to the fibers 20) when the male connector 12 is not being matedto the female connector 16.

A keyhole 46 is positioned below the shutter 36 for receiving a shutterkey or pin 48 in moving the vertical portion 38 of the shutter 36upwardly when the male connector 12 is mated to the female connector 16as will be described in further detail below.

In mating the male connector 12 to the female connector 16, theconnector sliding outer housing 23 defines locking features 50 on rightand left sidewalls 52 thereof for locking with the female connector 16.The locking features 50 define ramps 54 that contact and laterally movecantilever arms 56 located on the female connector 16 when slidablydisconnecting the male connector 12 from the female connector 16. Sincethe male connector 12 provides a “slidable outer housing over an innerhousing” design, the connector sliding outer housing 23 can be movedwith respect to both the connector inner housing 24 and the femaleconnector 16 in freeing the latched connector inner housing 24 of themale connector 12 from the cantilever arms 56 of the female connector16. The connection and disconnection of the male connector 12 to andfrom the female connector 16 are similar to that used for SC connectorsand adapters known in the art. Generally, the ramps 54 defined by theconnector sliding outer housing 23 laterally move the cantilever arms 56of the female connector 16 and free the cantilever arms 56 from theconnector inner housing 24 when the connector sliding outer housing 23is pulled back with respect to the connector inner housing 24 and thefemale connector 16. A similar “slidable outer housing over an innerhousing” locking and unlocking motion is used for SC connectors whenlatching and unlatching SC connectors to and from SC format adapters.

Still referring to FIGS. 5-8, the shroud outer housing 25 and theconnector sliding outer housing 23 cooperatively define a window 58 foraccommodating a protruding portion 60 of the connector inner housing 24.The protruding portion 60 is defined as part of the connector innerhousing top part 29. As will be discussed in further detail below, theprotruding portion 60 of the connector inner housing 24 defines abuckling region 62 for the fibers 20 that are housed by the maleconnector 12 and accommodate any macrobending of the fibers 20 when themale and female connectors 12, 16 are physically brought together. Stillreferring to FIGS. 5-8, the fibers 20 of the first cable 14 are fixedlymounted to the connector inner housing base part 27 of the maleconnector 12. The connector inner housing base part 27 defines a pottingarea 64 for fiber fixation generally toward the back 66 thereof, behindthe fiber buckling region 62.

The connector inner housing 24 is generally biased rearward with respectto the shroud 22 via a shroud spring 68 extending between the shroudinner housing 26 and a spring pocket 70 defined in connector innerhousing base part 27. It can also be said that the shroud 22 is biasedforward via the spring 68 relative to the connector inner housing 24 ofthe male connector 12.

As shown in FIGS.1, 2, and 5-8, an upper tab 72 of the connector innerhousing 24 contacting a stop surface 74 defined on the shroud outerhousing 25 keeps the shroud 22 slidably mounted with respect to theconnector inner housing 24 and prevents the shroud 22 from falling off.

When moving in the forward direction, the connector inner housing 24 isprevented from axially exiting the shroud 22 by a number of structures.For example, the protruding portion 60 of the connector inner housing 24extending through the window 58 of the shroud 22 prevents the connectorinner housing 24 from exiting the shroud 22 when moving in the forwarddirection. Also, when moving in the forward direction, a front end 76defined by an upper wall 78 of the connector inner housing 24 abuts theend 80 of a pocket 82 defined by the upper wall 30 of the shroud outerhousing 25 to stop the forward movement of the connector inner housing24.

For the connector sliding outer housing 23, a lower tab 84 of theconnector sliding outer housing 23 also contacts a stop surface 86defined by a rear wall 88 of the connector inner housing 24 to preventthe connector sliding outer housing 23 from sliding off in the rearwarddirection with respect to the connector inner housing 24.

Still referring to FIGS. 5-8, it should be noted that, in order toexpose the fibers from the front end 28 of the shroud outer housing 25,the entire shroud 22 (including the shroud inner housing 26) has to beslidably moved rearward relative to the connector inner housing 24 (orthe connector inner housing 24 moved forward relative to the shroud 22).However, as shown in FIGS. 5B and 5D-5F, the connector inner housingbase part 27 defines a tab 91 at a front end of a bottom wall 92 thereofthat interfaces and cooperates with a catch 96 defined by a lower wall94 of the shroud outer housing 25 to define a shroud lock 90, which isconfigured to prevent an operator to push the shroud 22 toward theconnector inner housing 24 and provide protection for the bare fibertip.

The catch 96 has to be freed from the locking tab 91 in order to allowthe shroud 22 to be moved rearwardly with respect to the connector innerhousing 24. In FIG. 8, the male connector 12 is shown with the catch 96having cleared the front tab 91 of the connector inner housing base part27 and the shroud 22 having been moved rearwardly with respect to theconnector inner housing 24, allowing the fibers 20 to protrude out fromthe front of the male connector 12. As will be described in furtherdetail below, the female connector 16 has a pair of deflection features98 that contact lifting arms 99 defined at the sides of the middle tab91 of the connector inner housing base part 27 and lift the lifting arms99. Raising of the lifting arms 99 provides a lift of a portion of thebottom wall 94 of the shroud outer housing 25 that includes the catch 96and frees the catch 96 from the front tab 91 of the connector innerhousing base part 27 to allow movement of the shroud 22. Please refer toFIGS. 5D-5F.

When the shroud 22 has been moved rearward with respect to the connectorinner housing 24 and the fibers 20 are protruding out of the maleconnector 12, the spring 68 is in a compressed state. The spring 68 isconfigured to push the shroud 22 forwardly in the axial directionrelative to the connector inner housing 24 when the male connector 12 isremoved from the female connector 16. In doing so, the catch 96 definedby the bottom wall 94 of the shroud outer housing 25 once again movesover tab 91 of the connector inner housing base part 27 and becomeslocked thereto to prevent rearward movement of the shroud 22. As shown,when the spring 68 is reextending and the shroud 22 is being movedforward with respect to the connector inner housing 24, the upper tab 72of the connector inner housing 24 once again contacts the stop surface74 defined on the shroud outer housing 25 and prevents the shroud 22from falling off.

The fibers 20 are retracted into the male connector 12 when the shroud22 is at its forwardmost position relative to the connector innerhousing 24.

It should be noted that, in addition to the shutter 36 of the maleconnector 12 that moves perpendicular to the axial direction, the shroud22 can also be said to define a second shutter 100 that moves in theaxial direction. The shroud 22 acts as a second, axial shutter 100 whenslidably moving back and forth with respect to the connector innerhousing 24 of the male connector 12. The shroud 22 has to be unlatched,as discussed above, in order to be moved rearwardly with respect to theconnector inner housing 24 to expose the optical fibers 20 forconnection.

The buckling region 62 accommodates any macrobending of the fibers 20 asthe fibers 20 protrude out of the male connector 12 and contact thefibers 20 of the female connector 16, as will be described in furtherdetail below. According to the depicted embodiment of FIGS. 1-8, thebuckling region 62 defines separate channels 102 for directionallycontrolling the buckling of the fibers 20 as they macrobend.

As shown in FIGS. 9-11, the buckling region 62 can be configured todefine a varying number of channels 102 depending upon the number offibers 20 being terminated by the connector 12. For example, in FIG. 9,a buckling region 62 having eight channels 102 for accommodating eightfibers 20 is shown. In FIG. 10, a buckling region 62 having twelvechannels 102 for accommodating twelve fibers 20 is shown. According toother embodiments, the male connector 12 can include two separatebuckling regions or cavities 62, each for accommodating, e.g., eightfibers 20, as shown in FIG. 11.

It should be noted that, depending upon the width of the channels 102,multiple fibers 20 may be accommodated within a single buckling channel102.

According to one example embodiment, the buckling region 62 mayaccommodate macrobending up to 18 mm of deflection.

Now referring to FIGS. 12-15, the second fiber optic connectioncomponent in the form of a female fiber optic connector 16 of the fiberoptic connection system 10 is shown. As discussed previously, the femaleconnector 16 defines a housing 104 that is configured to receive themale connector 12, including the shroud 22, the connector inner housing24, and the connector sliding outer housing 23.

The cantilever arms 56 are defined on sidewalls 106 of the housing 104of the female connector 16. As noted above, the cantilever arms 56 areconfigured to latch onto the sidewalls of the connector inner housing 24of the male connector 12. The connector sliding outer housing 23 of themale connector 12 can be moved with respect to both the connector innerhousing 24 and the female connector 16 in freeing the cantilever arms 56from the connector inner housing 24 of the male connector 12 similar tothat used in unlatching SC connectors from SC adapters as known in theart. Within the interior 108 of the housing 104 of the female connector16, a fiber fixation portion 110 is provided at a rear end 112 thereof.The fibers 20 of the second cable 18 are terminated to the femaleconnector 16 via potting.

In front of the fiber fixation portion 110 is provided the fiberalignment portion 114. The fibers 20 transition from the fiber fixationportion 110 to the fiber alignment portion 114 at a generally downwardangle. The fiber alignment portion 114 includes a fiber alignmentstructure 116 defining a plurality of v-grooves or channels 118 forreceiving both the fibers 20 coming from the fixation portion 110 of thefemale connector 16 and the protruding fibers 20 coming from the maleconnector 12. According to certain examples, the v-grooves 118 of thefiber alignment structure 116 may be formed by grinding a metalstructure or a plastic molded structure to define channels having a 0.25mm pitch.

A pair of rods 120 having a cylindrical cross-section extendtransversely over the v-grooves 118. The rods 120 are configured toguide fibers 20 coming from both directions downwardly onto thev-grooves 118 for alignment. The combination of the v-grooves 118 andthe rods 120 provide a cone-like configuration for guiding each of theplurality of fibers 20 into alignment.

Similar to that discussed above with respect to the buckling region 62of the male connector 12, the v-grooves 118 of the fiber alignmentregion 114 of the female connector 16 can vary in number depending uponthe number of fibers 20 being terminated by the connector 16. A fiberalignment structure 116 defining eight v-grooves or channels 118 isshown in FIGS. 15A and 15B. As shown in FIGS. 15C and 15D, the fiberalignment region 114 can include a pair of separate fiber alignmentstructures 116, each defining a plurality of v-grooves 118 (e.g., eightv-grooves or channels). A female connector 16 such as the one shown inFIGS. 15C and 15D would be able to mate with a male connector 12 such asthat shown in FIG. 11 that includes two separate buckling cavities 62.

In insertion, as the male connector 12 enters the housing 104 of thefemale connector 16, a third shutter 122 of the female connector 16 ispivotally moved out of the way. The pivoting third shutter 122 ispositioned generally midway along the length of the female connectorhousing 104 to prevent access (e.g., to provide a tamper-proof design)and provide eye protection. The pivoting shutter 122 uses oppositelyoriented poled magnets 124 to bias the shutter 122 closed.

As the male connector 12 is further inserted, the deflection tabs 98(only one is shown in the cross-sectional views that bisect the femaleconnector 16) contact the lifting arms 99 defined at the sides of themiddle tab 91 of the connector inner housing base part 27 and lift thelifting arms 99. Raising of the lifting arms 99 provides a lift of aportion of the bottom wall 94 of the shroud outer housing 25 thatincludes the catch 96 and frees the catch 96 from the front tab 91 ofthe connector inner housing base part 27 to allow movement of the shroud22 (Please refer to FIGS. 5D-5F). As such, the fibers 20 can protrudeout from the front of the male connector 12.

The structure that forces the shroud 22 of the male connector 12 to moverearwardly is an abutment surface 126 defined by the female connector16, the abutment surface 126 defined at a location behind the deflectiontabs 98.

As discussed above, the final step in mating the male connector 12 tothe female connector 16 involves moving the vertical portion 38 of theshutter 36 of the male connector 12 upwardly to align the window 42 ofthe shutter 36 with the fibers 20 of the male connector 12 for allowingthe fibers 20 to protrude therefrom. The female connector 16 includesthe shutter key 48 that enters the keyhole 46 positioned below theshutter 36. The key 48 defines a convex front end 128 for contacting andmoving the shutter 36 upwardly in aligning the window 42 with the fibers20.

Once the abutment surface 126 contacts the shroud 22 of the maleconnector 12 and starts moving the shroud 22 rearward, the fibers 20protrude out from the male connector 12 and are guided into thev-grooves 118 by the rods 120. The angling of the fibers 20 facilitatesthe alignment and ensures that the fibers are brought toward the bottomof the v-grooves or channels 118. The circular cross section of the rods120 also biases the fibers 20 downwardly toward the v-grooves 118.

The male and female connectors 12, 16 are configured such that thecantilever arms 56 of the housing 104 of the female connector 16 lockonto the connector inner housing 24 of the male connector 12 as thefibers 20 abut each other within the v-grooves 118. As noted above, anymacrobend or deflection of the fibers 20 due to abutment is accommodatedby the buckling region 62 of the connector inner housing 24 of the maleconnector 12.

When the male and female connectors 12, 16 need to be separated, themale connector 12 is grasped by its connector sliding outer housing 23and pulled away from the female connector 16. As such, the outer housing23 starts sliding with respect to the connector inner housing 24 of themale connector 12. The ramps 54 defined by the locking features 50 onthe right and left sidewalls 52 of the connector sliding outer housing23 of the male connector 12 contact and laterally move the cantileverarms 56 located on the female connector 16 to free the latchedconnection between the female and male connectors 16, 12.

Sliding the male connector 12 out of the housing 104 of the femaleconnector 16 allows all of the biased features of the male connector 12to return to a neutral position. This includes a forward movement of theshroud 22 with respect to the connector inner housing 24 by the spring68. A ramped configuration of the catch 96 at the bottom of the shroudouter housing 25 allows the catch 96 to slide over a ramped innersurface 130 of the tab 91 of the connector inner housing base part 27 asthe shroud 22 is moved forwardly with respect to the connector innerhousing 24. As the shroud 22 is moved forwardly with respect to theconnector inner housing 24 (i.e., the connector inner housing 24 ismoved rearward relative to the shroud 22), the fibers 20 retract intothe male connector 12. The vertical portion 38 of the shutter 36, whichis biased downwardly by its horizontal portion 40, moves or pivots toun-align the window 42 relative to the fibers 20 and block the fiberoptic signal.

As noted above, when the shroud spring 68 is reextending and the shroud22 is being moved forward with respect to the connector inner housing24, the upper tab 72 of the connector inner housing 24 once againcontacts the stop surface 74 defined on the shroud outer housing 25 andprevents the shroud 22 from falling off.

Referring now to FIGS. 16-23, another example of a second fiber opticconnection component that physically mates with the first fiber opticconnection component 12 may be an adapter 132 having features that areexamples of inventive aspects in accordance with the present disclosureis shown.

The adapter 132 is configured for mating two of the male connectors 12shown in FIGS. 5-8 of the disclosure. The adapter 132, thus, can be usedfor mating two male connectors 12 when the male connector 12 is notbeing mated with a cable terminated by a female connector 16.

The adapter 132, as shown, defines a configuration similar to thatformed by two integrated and oppositely facing female connectors 16 ofFIGS. 12-15. The adapter 132 includes magnetically pivotable shutters134 on both ends and a fiber alignment region 136 in the center that issimilar to that formed by two oppositely facing, integrated femaleconnectors 16. The adapter 132 further defines a deflection tab 138similar to that of a female connector 16 for contacting and moving thecatches 96 of the connector sliding outer housing 23 of the maleconnectors 12 on each end of the adapter 132. Shutter keys or pins 140(similar to those of female connectors 16) are also defined on both endsof the adapter 132.

The fiber alignment region 136 defines a single fiber alignmentstructure 142 with v-grooves 144 for aligning the fibers 20 protrudingfrom two male connectors 12. As shown, a pair of outer transversecylindrical rods 146 are provided adjacent the ends of the v-grooves 144for facilitating insertion of the fibers 20 into the v-grooves 144. Apair of inner transverse cylindrical rods 148 are provided at the centerof the fiber alignment structure 142 for keeping the aligned fibers 20down within the v-grooves 144 of the alignment structure 142. The fibers20 are brought into the v-grooves 144 at an angle, which allows thealignment of the fibers 20 in the v-grooves 144 without having the needof a spring or another biasing member to push down the fibers 20 intothe v-grooves 144.

The adapter 132 defines cantilever arms 150 similar to that of a femaleconnector 16 at both ports for locking the male connectors 12 thereto.

Now referring to FIGS. 24-28, it should be noted that a fiber alignmentregion similar to that used in the adapter 132 of FIGS. 16-23 can beutilized in a female connector. As shown in FIGS. 24-28, an example ofsuch a female connector 152 terminating a fiber optic cable 18 is shown.The depicted female connector 152 includes a fiber alignment structure154 with v-grooves 156 for aligning the fibers 20 of the femaleconnector 152 with those of the male connector 12, a pair of outertransverse cylindrical rods 158 that are provided adjacent the ends ofthe v-grooves 156 for facilitating insertion of fibers 20 into thev-grooves 156, and a pair of inner transverse cylindrical rods 160provided at the center of the fiber alignment structure 154 for keepingthe aligned fibers 20 down within the v-grooves 156 of the alignmentstructure 154, all similar to the features of the adapter 132.

It should be noted that the outer transverse cylindrical rod 158positioned at the female connector side can facilitate insertion of thefibers 20 of a cable 18 into the v-grooves 156 in initially terminatingthe cable 18 to the female connector 152.

As shown in FIGS. 29-34, the fiber optic connection systems of thepresent disclosure may be configured to fit within conventionalfootprints provided in the telecommunications industry. For example, asshown, an adapter 162 may utilize a housing 164 that fits within an SCfootprint. In such a system, since the male connectors 166 would alsohave to fit within the ports provided by an SC-sized adapter 162,certain portions of the connectors 166 may have to be modified. Forexample, in the depicted embodiment, the buckling region 168 defined bya connector inner housing 170 is completely within the side profile of aconnector sliding outer housing 173. The connector sliding outer housing173 does not define a window through the upper wall 174 thereof foraccommodating a protruding portion of the connector inner housing 170.The connector inner housing 170 is within the height of the slidingouter housing 173 in an SC-profiled system such as that shown in FIGS.29-34. Such a configuration may be utilized when stacking more than onelayer of fibers 20 as will be described in further detail below. Forexample, as will be discussed in further detail below, the fiber opticconnection systems of the present disclosure may be used to connectdual-layered, quad-layered, or multi-layered systems.

Still referring to FIGS. 29-34, the male connector 166 includes theshroud 172 that is formed from a shroud outer housing 171, a shroudinner housing base 175, and a shroud inner housing top part 177. Ashroud spring 179 biases the shroud 172 forwardly. The connector innerhousing 170 of the male connector 166 is formed from a connector innerhousing base 181, a connector inner housing top part 183, and aconnector top part 185.

Now referring specifically to FIG. 31B, the connector sliding outerhousing 173 is configured to slide with respect to the connector innerhousing 170 similar to previous embodiments for latching/unlatching themale connector 166. A rear body 187 attaches a boot 189 to the connectorinner housing 170 of the male connector 166. A crimp ring 191 may beprovided adjacent the back end of the rear body 187.

In the male and female connectors described above and illustrated inFIGS. 1-34, both the fibers 20 protruding from the male connector 12/166and the fibers 20 transitioning from the fiber fixation portion to thefiber alignment portion of the female connectors 16/152 are generallyprovided at a downward angle to facilitate guiding of the fibers 20 intothe v-grooves 118/144/156 of the alignment structures. According to oneexample, the fibers 20 are generally provided at a 0-10 degree angle tofacilitate alignment. According other embodiments, the fibers 20 arebrought in at an angle of about 3-8 degrees. According otherembodiments, the fibers 20 are brought in at an angle of about 5-8degrees. According other embodiments, the fibers 20 are brought in at anangle of about 5 degrees. According other embodiments, the fibers 20 arebrought in at an angle of about 6 degrees. According other embodiments,the fibers 20 are brought in at an angle of about 7 degrees.

Now referring to FIGS. 35-39, in certain embodiments, the downward angleof the fibers 20 for alignment can be achieved via the housing/body 176of the adapter 178 or the housing/body 179 of the female connector 180of the system rather than via structures such as endcaps that haveangled surfaces.

In FIGS. 35-39, a system 182 is shown where the male connectors 184include shroud inner housing bases 186 defining non-angled uppersurfaces 188 where the fibers 20 protrude outwardly generally parallelto the longitudinal axes. Such male connectors 184 can be mated via anadapter 178 that defines opposing ports where the ports are provided atan angle (e.g., 5 degrees) along a plane parallel to the sidewalls 190of the adapter 178. The angling of the ports is configured to replacethe angled provision of the fibers 20 from the male connectors and stillfacilitate guidance of the fibers 20 into the v-grooves 192 of theadapter 178. It should be noted that the adapter 178 includes all of theinternal features of the adapter 132 of FIGS. 16-23 except for theangled ports.

In FIG. 39, similar to the adapter 178 of FIGS. 35-28, a femaleconnector 180 defining an angled housing 179 is shown. It should benoted that the female connector 180 includes features similar to thoseof the female connectors 16/152 of FIGS. 12-15 and 24-27 except for theangled housing. In this manner, the female connector 180 can mate with amale connector 184 that has fibers 20 protruding parallel to itslongitudinal axis.

In certain embodiments, as will be described below, male connectors 194with fibers 20 protruding straight, parallel to their longitudinal axes,may be used with non-angled adapter housings/bodies. Even though thedownward angling of the fibers 20 may facilitate alignment in non-angledadapters, with the transversely extending rods of the fiber alignmentstructures of the adapters, the downward angling does not have to beutilized for aligning the fibers. For example, in FIGS. 40-47, anadapter 196 that has a non-angled body 198 is shown for aligning twomale connectors 194 that have fibers 20 protruding parallel to theirlongitudinal axes.

It should be noted that although the previous examples of fiber opticconnection systems described above have depicted the alignment of asingle row of multi fibers 20, the principles disclosed herein can beused for aligning multiple rows of fibers 20.

FIGS. 48-55 illustrate a dual-layer connection system 200. In thedepicted examples, a dual-layer male connector 202 and a dual-layeradapter 204 that is configured to mate two male connectors 202 areshown. It should be noted that the features of the adapter 204 may beprovided on a dual-layered female connector. As shown, the dual-layeredadapter 204 is provided with an angled housing 205, but the features arefully applicable to adapters having a non-angled housing, wherein thefibers 20 of the male or female connectors protrude at an angle instead.

Referring now to FIGS. 48-50, the dual-layered male connector 202defines features similar to the single-layered male connectors12/184/194 discussed with respect to FIGS. 1-47, except that thedual-layered male connector 202 defines a shutter 206 with two windows208, one for each layer of fibers 20 protruding from the connector 202and upper and lower buckling regions 210 for each of the fiber layers20. It should be noted that the operation of the vertically movingshutter 206 and the relative movement between the shroud 212 and theconnector inner housing 214 are similar to that discussed previously forthe single layered version. One shutter key 216 (of either adual-layered adapter or a dual-layered female connector) is used tovertically move both windows 208 of the shutter 206 into alignment. Onedeflection tab 218 (of either a dual-layered adapter or a dual-layeredfemale connector) is used to allow movement of the shroud 212 withrespect to the connector inner housing 214 that supports both layers offibers 20.

Still referring to FIGS. 48-50, the dual-layered male connector 202includes the shroud 212 that is formed from a shroud outer housing 203,a shroud inner housing base 225, and a shroud inner housing top part207. A shroud spring 209 biases the shroud 212 forwardly. The connectorinner housing 214 of the dual-layered male connector 202 is formed froma connector inner housing base 211, a connector inner housing midsection 213, and a connector inner housing top part 215.

Still referring to FIGS. 48-50, a connector sliding outer housing 217 isconfigured to slide with respect to the connector inner housing 214similar to previous embodiments for latching/unlatching the maleconnector 202. A rear body 219 attaches a boot 221 to the connectorinner housing 214 of the male connector 202. A crimp ring 223 may beprovided adjacent the back end of the rear body 219.

Referring now to FIGS. 51-55, the dual-layered adapter 204 defines afiber alignment region 220 with two fiber alignment structures 222(defined by v-grooves 224) stacked on top of each other. Each fiberalignment structure 222 accommodates one of the fiber layers 20 of thedual-layered male connector 202.

FIGS. 56-65 illustrate an example of a fiber optic connection system 226that is configured to align four rows of multiple fibers 20, providing aquad-layered system. In the depicted examples, a quad-layered adapter228 that is configured to mate two male connectors 230 are shown. Itshould be noted that the features of the adapter 228 may be provided ona quad-layered female connector. According to one example embodiment,the fiber optic connection system 226 may be used to mate a total of 144fibers, wherein each of the four rows of multiple fibers 20 include 36fibers in a row.

In the depicted embodiment, the quad-layered adapter 228 is providedwith a non-angled housing 232, but the features are fully applicable toadapters having an angled housing. It should also be noted that in thedepicted embodiment, the fibers 20 of the male connectors 230 are shownto protrude straight, parallel to the longitudinal axes of the maleconnectors 230 even though the adapters 228 are provided with anon-angled housing 232.

As shown in FIGS. 56-59, the quad-layered adapter 228 may includecertain features that are different than the previously describedsingle- or dual-layered adapters. For example, the quad-layered adapter228 may include a pair of spring-loaded shutters 234 at each end of theadapter 228 rather than a single magnetically-biased shutter at eachend. The spring-loaded shutters 234 of the quad adapter 228 may pivotabout a plane generally parallel to the top and bottom sides 236 of theadapter 228 versus the magnetic shutters of the single- and dual-layeredadapters that pivot open about a plane that is generally parallel to thesidewalls of those adapters. The spring-loaded shutters 234 may providethe function of locking the quad male connectors to the adapter 228 onceinserted therein instead of utilizing cantilever arms on the sidewallsof the adapter as discussed for previous embodiments. These types oflocking shutters may be used on other examples of adapters or femaleconnectors discussed above such as the single- or dual-layer components.Further details relating to the spring-loaded shutters 234 of suchadapters 228 are described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.62/255,171, filed Nov. 13, 2015, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

The quad-layered male connectors 230 may define features similar to thesingle- or dual-layered male connectors discussed with respect to FIGS.1-55 except that the quad-layered male connectors 230 may defineshutters 238 with four windows 240, one for each layer of fibers 20protruding from the connector 230. It should be noted that the operationof the vertically moving shutter 238 and the relative movement betweenthe shroud 242 and the connector inner housing 244 are similar to thatdiscussed previously for the single- or dual-layered versions. Oneshutter key 246 (of either a quad-layered adapter or a quad-layeredfemale connector) is used to vertically move all four windows 240 of theshutter 238 into alignment. One deflection tab 248 (of either aquad-layered adapter or a quad-layered female connector) is used toallow movement of the shroud 242 with respect to the connector innerhousing 244 that supports all four layers of fibers 20. Each maleconnector 230 may include four vertically stacked buckling regions 250for each of the fiber layers 20 as shown in FIGS. 62 and 65.

Referring now to FIGS. 65B and 65C, the quad-layered male connector 230includes the shroud 242 that is formed from a shroud outer housing 231,a shroud inner housing base 233, and shroud inner housing mid sections235. Shroud springs 237 bias the shroud 242 forwardly. The connectorinner housing 244 of the quad-layered male connector 230 is formed froma connector inner housing base 239, connector inner housing mid sections241, a connector inner housing top part 243, and a connector top 253.

Still referring to FIGS. 65B and 65C, a connector sliding outer housing245 is configured to slide with respect to the connector inner housing244 similar to previous embodiments for latching/unlatching the maleconnector 230. A rear body 247 attaches a boot 249 to the connectorinner housing 244 of the male connector 230. A crimp ring 251 may beprovided adjacent the back end of the rear body 247.

FIGS. 66-71 illustrate a fiber optic connection system 252 that can beused to mate 144-fiber connectors 254 (i.e., six rows of twenty-fourfibers). The operation of such a system 252 is similar to thosediscussed above for single, dual, or quad-layered systems.

In FIGS. 66-71, the 144-fiber male connector 254 is shown, depicting sixbuckling regions 256, each defining buckling channels for accommodatingtwenty-four fibers 20 in each row to form the 144-fiber connection. The144-fiber male connector 254 is shown with the fibers 20 protrudingtherefrom, with the shroud 258 having been pushed back with respect tothe connector inner housing 260 in exposing the fibers.

Still referring to FIGS. 66-71, the 144-fiber male connector 254includes the shroud 258 that is formed from a shroud outer housing 259,a shroud inner housing base 261, and a shroud inner housing mid section263. Shroud springs 265 bias the shroud 258 forwardly. The connectorinner housing 260 of the male connector 254 is formed from a connectorinner housing base 267, a connector inner housing mid section 269, and aconnector inner housing top part 271.

Still referring to FIGS. 66-71, a connector sliding outer housing 273 isconfigured to slide with respect to the connector inner housing 260similar to previous embodiments for latching/unlatching the maleconnector 254.

Even though systems that can be used to mate up to 144-fiber connectionshave be disclosed, it should be noted that the inventive principles ofthe disclosure are applicable for mating more than 144 fibers. Forexamples, the male connectors, the female connectors, and the adaptersof the present disclosure can be configured to mate 196, 288, or morefibers.

It should be noted that although certain specific examples of maleconnector, female connector, and adapter configurations have beendisclosed, the inventive principles are not limited by the amount offibers in a row or the number of rows as long as the structures of thedisclosure are manufactured according to a desired connectivitysolution.

The above specification, examples and data provide a completedescription of the manufacture and use of the composition of theinventive features. Since many embodiments of the disclosure can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the inventive features,the inventive features reside in the claims hereinafter appended.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   10 Fiber optic connection system-   12 First fiber optic connection component/male fiber optic connector-   14 First fiber optic cable-   16 Second fiber optic connection component/female fiber optic    connector-   18 Second fiber optic cable-   20 Optical fiber-   22 Shroud-   23 Connector sliding outer housing-   24 Connector inner housing-   25 Shroud outer housing-   26 Shroud inner housing-   27 Connector inner housing base part-   28 Front end of outer housing-   29 Connector inner housing top part-   30 Upper wall-   32 Upper surface of shroud inner housing-   34 Interior surface of upper wall-   36 First shutter-   38 Vertical portion of shutter-   40 Horizontal portion of shutter-   42 Shutter window-   44 Pocket-   46 Keyhole-   48 Shutter key/pin-   50 Locking feature-   52 Sidewall-   54 Ramp-   56 Cantilever arm-   58 Outer housing window-   60 Protruding portion-   62 Buckling region/cavity-   64 Potting area-   66 Back of connector inner housing-   68 Spring-   70 Spring pocket-   72 Upper tab-   74 Stop surface-   76 Front end of connector inner housing-   78 Upper wall of connector inner housing-   80 End-   82 Pocket-   84 Lower tab-   86 Stop surface-   88 Rear wall of connector inner housing-   90 Shroud lock-   91 Tab-   92 Bottom wall-   94 Lower wall of shroud outer housing-   96 Catch-   98 Deflection feature/tab-   99 Lifting arm-   100 Second shutter-   102 Channel-   104 Housing of female connector-   106 Sidewall-   108 Interior of housing-   110 Fiber fixation portion-   112 Rear end-   114 Fiber alignment portion-   116 Fiber alignment structure-   118 V-groove/channel-   120 Rod-   122 Third shutter-   124 Magnet-   126 Abutment surface-   128 Convex front end-   130 Inner surface of locking arm-   132 Adapter-   134 Shutter-   136 Fiber alignment region-   138 Deflection tab-   140 Shutter key/pin-   142 Fiber alignment structure-   144 V-groove-   146 Outer transverse cylindrical rod-   148 Inner transverse cylindrical rod-   150 Cantilever arm-   152 Female connector-   154 Fiber alignment structure-   156 V-groove-   158 Outer transverse cylindrical rod-   160 Inner transverse cylindrical rod-   162 Adapter-   164 Housing-   166 Male connector-   168 Buckling region-   170 Connector inner housing-   171 Shroud outer housing-   172 Shroud-   173 Connector sliding outer housing-   174 Upper wall-   175 Shroud inner housing base-   176 Housing/body-   177 Shroud inner housing top part-   178 Adapter-   179 Shroud spring-   180 Female connector-   181 Connector inner housing base-   182 System-   183 Connector inner housing top part-   184 Male connector-   185 Connector top-   186 Shroud inner housing base-   187 Rear body-   188 Upper surface-   189 Boot-   190 Sidewall-   191 Crimp ring-   192 V-groove-   194 Male connector-   196 Adapter-   198 Non-angled body-   200 Dual-layer connection system-   202 Dual-layer male connector-   203 Shroud outer housing-   204 Dual-layer adapter-   205 Angled housing-   206 Shutter-   207 Shroud inner housing top part-   208 Window-   209 Shroud spring-   210 Buckling region-   211 Connector inner housing base-   212 Shroud-   213 Connector inner housing mid section-   214 Connector inner housing-   215 Connector inner housing top part-   216 Shutter key-   217 Connector sliding outer housing-   218 Deflection tab-   219 Rear body-   220 Fiber alignment region-   221 Boot-   222 Fiber alignment structure-   223 Crimp ring-   224 V-groove-   225 Shroud inner housing base-   226 Fiber optic connection system-   228 Quad-layered adapter-   230 Male connector-   231 Shroud outer housing-   232 Non-angled housing-   233 Shroud inner housing base-   234 Spring-loaded shutter-   235 Shroud inner housing mid section-   236 Top/bottom side-   237 Shroud spring-   238 Shutter-   239 Connector inner housing base-   240 Window-   241 Connector inner housing mid section-   242 Shroud-   243 Connector inner housing top part-   244 Connector inner housing-   245 Connector sliding outer housing-   246 Shutter key-   247 Rear body-   248 Deflection tab-   249 Boot-   250 Buckling region-   251 Crimp ring-   252 Fiber optic connection system-   253 Connector top-   254 144-fiber male connector-   256 Buckling region-   258 Shroud-   259 Shroud outer housing-   260 Connector inner housing-   261 Shroud inner housing base-   263 Shroud inner housing mid section-   265 Shroud spring-   267 Connector inner housing base-   269 Connector inner housing mid section-   271 Connector inner housing top part-   273 Connector sliding outer housing

1. A fiber optic connection system comprising: a first connectioncomponent terminating a first fiber optic cable, the first connectioncomponent including a housing defining a longitudinal axis, at least onefiber of the first fiber optic cable fixed axially with respect to thehousing; the first connection component including a first shutter thatis slidably movable in a direction generally perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis, the first shutter biased to a closed position whereinthe at least one fiber of the first fiber optic cable is prevented fromexposure by the first shutter; the first connection component includinga second shutter that is slidably movable in a direction generallyparallel to the longitudinal axis, the second shutter biased to a closedposition so as to prevent the at least one fiber of the first fiberoptic cable from protruding from the first connection component.
 2. Afiber optic connection system according to claim 1, wherein the firstconnection component is defined by a male connector such that the atleast one fiber of the fiber optic cable protrudes from the maleconnector when the first and second shutters are brought to an openposition.
 3. A fiber optic connection system according to claim 1,wherein the housing of the first connection component is defined by aconnector inner housing, and the second shutter is defined by a shroudthat is slidably movable with respect to the connector inner housing. 4.A fiber optic connection system according to claim 1, further comprisinga second connection component that is configured to physically mate withthe first connection component for the purpose of optically aligning theat least one fiber of the first fiber optic cable with at least onefiber of a second fiber optic cable, the second connection componentconfigured to move both the first shutter and the second shutter to anopen position when coupled to the first connection component forexposing the at least one fiber of the first fiber optic cable foroptical alignment.
 5. A fiber optic connection system according to claim4, wherein the second connection component defines a third shutter thatis pivotally opened when the first connection component is physicallymated with the second connection component.
 6. A fiber optic connectionsystem according to claim 5, wherein the third shutter is biased closedby a spring.
 7. A fiber optic connection system according to claim 5,wherein the third shutter is biased closed by magnetic force.
 8. A fiberoptic connection system according to claim 4, wherein the secondconnection component includes a fiber alignment structure defining atleast one v-groove.
 9. A fiber optic connection system according toclaim 8, wherein the fiber alignment structure defines a plurality ofv-grooves.
 10. A fiber optic connection system according to claim 8,wherein the fiber alignment structure defines at least one cylindricalrod extending generally transverse to the v-groove for biasing the atleast one fiber of the first fiber optic cable toward the v-groove. 11.A fiber optic connection system according to claim 4, wherein the secondconnection component is defined by a female connector terminating thesecond fiber optic cable such that the at least one fiber of the secondfiber optic cable is fixed axially with respect to the female connector.12. A fiber optic connection system according to claim 4, wherein thesecond connection component is defined by an adapter that is configuredto optically intermate two first connection components, wherein theadapter is configured to move both the first and second shutters of eachof the two first connection components to the open position when thefirst connection components are physically coupled to the adapter.
 13. Afiber optic connection system according to claim 1, wherein the firstconnection component terminates a plurality of fibers of the first fiberoptic cable.
 14. A fiber optic connection system according to claim 13,wherein the plurality of fibers includes at least eight fibers providedin a row. 15.-18. (canceled)
 19. A fiber optic connection systemaccording to claim 13, wherein the plurality of fibers includes at leasttwo vertical layers of fibers.
 20. (canceled)
 21. (canceled)
 22. A fiberoptic connection system according to claim 1, wherein the housing of thefirst connection component defines a fiber buckling region foraccommodating macro-bending of the at least one fiber when the firstconnection component is mated to a second connection component so as tooptically align the at least one fiber of the first fiber optic cablewith at least one fiber of a second fiber optic cable.
 23. A fiber opticconnection system according to claim 13, wherein the housing of thefirst connection component defines a fiber buckling region foraccommodating macro-bending of the plurality of fibers when the firstconnection component is mated to a second connection component so as tooptically align the plurality of fibers of the first fiber optic cablewith a plurality of fibers of a second fiber optic cable.
 24. A fiberoptic connection system according to claim 1, wherein both the firstshutter and the second shutter are biased closed by spring force.25.-30. (canceled)
 31. A fiber optic connection component comprising: ahousing for physically mating with a housing of another fiber opticconnection component terminating at least one fiber of a first fiberoptic cable; a first deflection structure for moving a first shutter ofthe another fiber optic connection component in a direction generallyperpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the housing of the another fiberoptic connection component; a second deflection structure for moving asecond shutter of the another fiber optic connection component in adirection generally along the longitudinal axis of the housing of theanother fiber optic connection component; and a fiber alignmentstructure defining at least one v-groove for receiving the at least onefiber of the first fiber optic cable.
 32. A fiber optic connectioncomponent according to claim 31, further comprising a third deflectionstructure for releasing a latch of the another fiber optic connectioncomponent for allowing movement of the second shutter of the anotherfiber connection component.
 33. A fiber optic connection componentaccording to claim 31, wherein the fiber optic connection componentterminates at least one fiber of a second fiber optic cable that isconfigured for optically mating with the at least one fiber of the firstfiber optic cable.
 34. A fiber optic connection component according toclaim 31, wherein the fiber optic connection component defines anadapter for physically mating with and optically aligning two of theanother fiber optic connection components.
 35. A fiber optic connectioncomponent according to claim 34, wherein the adapter defines the firstand second deflection structures at each end of the adapter.